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Iran has finally shown a drone taking off and landing on – in the latter case with the help of arresting gear – the deck of the country's unusual new 'drone carrier,' the Shahid Bagheri. Newly emerged imagery also shows various drones and crewed helicopters on the flight deck, which has a ski jump at the bow end, including the appearance of 'drones' styled after the infamous Qaher 313.
Iranian Navy

Iran’s Wacky Aircraft Carrier Has Entered Service

Questions about the Shahid Bagheri's capabilities remain, especially with the reappearance of the infamous Qaher 313 in a new drone form.

Ukraine has launched a new offensive in Kursk, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and milbloggers.
Russia

Ukraine Launches New Offensive Push In Russia’s Kursk Region

While the objectives remain unclear at the moment, the move comes ahead of major meetings to discuss the future of the war.

The F-15EX, the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, arrives to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida March 11. The aircraft will be the first Air Force aircraft to be tested and fielded from beginning to end through combined developmental and operational tests. The 40th Flight Test Squadron and the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron personnel are responsible for testing the aircraft.
F-15

F-15EX Nails Pentagon Test Campaign, Survivability Concerns Remain

The F-15EX has so far impressed in simulated combat, even against fifth-generation threats, although new enemy long-range missiles could prove a challenge.

Developed through a collaboration between NPS and Seatrec, the Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler (PSAP) Voyager is pictured just after it is deployed in the Pacific off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, in November of 2024. The innovative, self-powered autonomous underwater drone represents a major breakthrough in the persistent collection of acoustic data in real-time. (Photo courtesy Tarry Rago)
News & Features

Navy Develops Highly Persistent Undersea Hydrophone System Powered By Ocean Temperatures

The Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler Voyager could make underwater listening cheaper, more flexible, and more persistent for the sea service.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave U.S. President Donald Trump a golden pager commemorating last September's Israeli attack on Hezbollah using thousands of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.
Israel

Trump Receives Golden Pager Gift From Netanyahu

The strange-looking gift commemorates Israel’s attack on Hezbollah operatives last fall using thousands of explosive pagers and walkie-talkies.

The U.S. Air Force quietly fixed a problem with the integration of the 30,000-pound class GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb onto the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber last year. As part of the integration work, the service also conducted an important test of a new "smart fuze" for the MOP to help improve the weapon's effectiveness, even when the exact depth and positioning of the buried target are not definitively known.
B-2

Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bunker Buster Grows More Potent

A new "smart fuze" for the GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator has been tested and an issue tied to the B-2 stealth bomber has been fixed.

A Mirage 2000-5 jet fighter takes off at the aerial military base 126 - Capitaine Preziosi aka Solenzara base, in Ventiseri, on the French Mediterranean island Corsica, for a mission in Libya on March 24, 2011. Blasts and anti-aircraft fire rattled the Libyan capital for the sixth day as France hailed the allied air raids against Moamer Kadhafi's forces and promised they would go on indefinitely.
French Air Force

First Mirage 2000 Fighter Has Arrived In Ukraine

Less than a year after the transfer was announced, the first of the French-made delta-wing jets has now arrived in Ukraine.

Ukraine has trillions in mineral resources that Donald Trump wants in exchange for U.S. arms. However, a good chunk of that land is held by Russia or too close to the front to mine.
Russia

Ukrainian Minerals For Arms Deal Complicated By Russian Control Of Key Territories

Ukraine Situation Report: More than half of the trillions of dollars in mineral resources is on land controlled by Russia.

New information about serious and potentially dangerous deficiencies with the emergency ejection system on the U.S. Air Force's new T-7A Red Hawk jet trainer has been released.
T-38

New Details About T-7A Red Hawk Jet Trainer Ejection System Woes Emerge

Work to fix the T-7's ejection system and other issues is underway, but new problems have also been uncovered during environmental tests.

Airbus Defense and Space has begun a risk-assessment study for France’s future maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), to be based on an Airbus A321 airliner platform. Billed as a “flying frigate” by the company, the new MPA is intended to replace the French Navy’s Dassault Atlantique 2 fleet but arrives at a time when NATO nations are increasingly adopting the in-production Boeing P-8 Poseidon for their maritime patrol requirements.
Maritime Patrol

Airbus A321 Airliners To Be Modified Into “Flying Frigate” Patrol Jets By France

The maritime patrol jet is intended to replace the French Navy’s aging Dassault Atlantique 2s and comes as Boeing’s P-8 gobbles up market share.

Dual Band radar still had problems prior to USS Ford's first deployment.
U.S. Navy

USS Gerald R. Ford Was Still Struggling With Its Dual Band Radar Prior To Deployment

The Ford is the only ship to have the full Dual Band Radar suite installed, and the Navy plans to replace it in the future.

Russia’s Modernized Nuclear Battlecruiser Finally Powers Up Its Reactors: Report
Russian Navy

Russia’s Modernized Nuclear Battlecruiser Finally Powers Up Its Reactors: Report

Reports from Russia suggest that sea trials for the Admiral Nakhimov could begin this summer, after many years of delays, but take that with a big grain of salt.

Rivet joint flew off Mexico.
RC-135

RC-135 Rivet Joint Surveillance Jet Just Flew Unprecedented Mission Off Mexico

An RC-135V flew two sorties in the past 48 hours over the tight confines of the Gulf of California that sits adjacent to a notorious cartel hot spot.

The U.S. Department of Defense has disclosed that it’s still unclear about the lethal effects of the hypersonic missile that’s at the center of the Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) Dark Eagle and which will arm the Navy’s Zumwalt class stealth destroyers and future Block V Virginia class submarines. The surprising knowledge gap comes after the Army achieved the long-delayed first test-firing of a Dark Eagle missile from its trailer-based launcher, something you can read more about here.
Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW)

Pentagon Still Unsure About Lethality Of Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile

Limited test data means the Pentagon is still unsure about the lethal effects and survivability of its key new common hypersonic missile.

US military going after cartels?
U.S. Homeland

How Trump Could Use Military Force Against Cartels In Mexico

While using the U.S. military to directly attack the cartels would be unprecedented, there are potential options for doing so.

The U.S. Marine Corps transition to the VH-92A Patriot as its only helicopter for use in the "Marine One" role shuttling the president, the vice president, their families, and their closest advisors around at home and abroad, is still underway and now we know it won't be done till 2030, at the earliest.
VH-3

VH-92 Patriot Fully Taking Over Marine One Duties Has Slipped To End Of Decade

After major delays, the VH-92 is stepping into the Marine One role more fully, but total transition will come seven years later than planned.

APKWS infrared seeker in the works.
Infrared Search And Track

Infrared Seeker For APKWS Guided Rockets Is In The Works

Finally operationalizing 70mm rockets with infrared seekers could unlock new U.S. capabilities, possibly including the ability to rapidly engage aerial targets.

HELIOS laser fired from the USS Preble.
High Powered Microwaves

Navy HELIOS Laser Aboard USS Preble Zaps Drone In Latest Test

Service brass have clamored to get shipboard laser weapons operational, as other similar systems have suffered delays and cancellations

A U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet from the "Mighty Strikes" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 94, flies over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility while conducing a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve Oct. 2, 2020. VFA-94 is assigned to Carrier Air Wing 17, deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group.
F/A-18E/F

F/A-18’s Infrared Search And Track System Has “Significant Reliability Problems”

The Navy has again run into problems bringing its critical podded infrared search and track system into full operational service.

Maj. Garret Dover prepares to taxi in an F-35A of the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, a tenant unit at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., takes off on a test flight at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, Feb 17, 2016. Six operational test and evaluation F-35s and more than 85 Airmen of the 31st TES travelled to Mountain Home AFB to conduct the first simulated deployment test of the F-35A, specifically to execute three key initial operational capability mission sets: suppression of enemy air defenses, close air support and air interdiction.
P-8

Escalating Trade War Raises Questions Over Canada’s F-35 Future

Canada’s place in the F-35 program is under scrutiny once again, this time due to tit-for-tat tariffs with the United States.